Control-lever mounting for player-actions.



i H. B. TODD. CONTROL LEVER MOUNTING FOR PLAYER ACTIONS.

APPLICATION FiLED AUG-7,1912.

1,139,927. Patented May18; 1915 INVENTOR ywwM' WITNESSES THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. F'HOTO-LITHCL. WASHINQJQV. D. C,

HAROLD B. TODD, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

' ,ooNrRoL-LEvER MOUNTING FOR PLAYER-ACTIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent. t t 5 3, 5

' ApplicationfiledAugust 7,1912. Seria1No.713,697.

' To all whom it may concern of Philadelphia, Pennsy1vania,have inventoperation.

the regulating levers for automatic'player Be it known that I, HARoLo B. Tom), a citizen of the United States, and a resident ed a certain new and useful Control-Lever Mounting forPlayer-Actions, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto pianos ofthe type in which the keys may be used if desired, but which are provided with automatic operating means here typified by cylinders for a record, tracker board and'air and mechanical" connections for hammer The purpose of my invention is to place piano 'con'trol above the keyboard where they may be'more directly connected with the working parts, more accessible to the operator and Where thefall board or other closure of the opening to themmay be com bined with or concealed by the piano face board construction.

. A further purpose of my invention is to carry the levers controlling the player actions as far aspossible upon, or in close proximity to the-body of the player action itself, in order that it may be mounted thereon at the factory and supplied with the action or-more readily assembled with respect to the other parts than is at present possible.

Further purposes of my invention will appear from the specification and claims hereof.

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by a form thereof, which is simple, eflicient, inexpensive and easily assembled and which at the same time well illustrates the principles of my invention. I

Figure 1 is a front elevation of, my preferred form with the front board removed. Fig. 2 is a broken section taken upon line 22 of Fig. 1 with parts in different positions.

In the construction of automatic pianos in which the automatic mechanism is built into the 'pianos, the parts are frequently supplied to the piano maker who installs them in the piano. The various motors, drums, controlling mechanism, etc., by

which the playing ofthe piano is made antomatic,'are knownas player piano actions.

I This term; does not ordinarily includethe actual'levers and connections by which the parts of the-player piano-action are put in operation. The expression player piano action in this specification refers to the action as thus modified.

Above the key slip 5 I show the front fall board 6 hinged at 7 and "adaptedto' swing up into'substantially the identical position of a board 8 as the latter is swung back by means of hinge connection 9 and link 10 operated thereby, as more fully explained in my co-pending application for Fall Board Location and Construction, filed August 1, 1912, Serial No. 712,636. Within'the board 8 I hinge a drop 11 preferably upon the hinge 9 in line with hinge 9, in order that by dropping this board 11 I may expose to View any suitable number ofcontrolling levers herershown as four in 1 number,'and represented at 12, 13, 14: and 15. The means of access to the levers above the keyboard enables me to place the levers abovethe keys and consequently to obtain a much more direct, compact, simple and convenient connectionof these levers with their several operative parts. It enables me to gain an additional advantage, also,

because it places the levers and their conmade by the one assembling the piano This is of. a special benefit to the many piano manufacturers who select the various piano parts made 'by independent makers and combine them within their judgment to suit the special conditions of the'trade for which they are manufacturing or the requirements of individual orders.

The greater facility for manufacturing possessed by the maker of player actions reduces the trouble and consequently'the ex-. 7

pense of the mounting of the levers upon this structure to a minimum, and the more direct connections made, still further re duce'the trouble and expense. I

I have not considered it necessary to show all of the ultimate connections for the performance of the functions stated in some] instances Where these connections are well known, and where I have shown the connection sufficiently to move a lever rod or other part which has previously been moved by other levers though by less direct and advantageous connections.

I have shown the lever 12 as preferably rocking toward and from the operator though, obviously, it could be connected to perform the same functions in a simple manner and so as to move in other directions if preferred. As illustrated, it rocks a shaft 16 which is mounted in any suitable bearings 17, 18 and thus swings a lever 19, making the two levers and the rocker shaft eflective as a bell crank connection. The arm 19 is pivoted at 20 to a link 21 which is pivoted at its other end 22 to the damper rail 23 by which the dampers 24 are controlled, so that the inward movement of the lever 12, from the observer, will withdraw the dampers from their normal position, producing the familiar loud pedal effect.-

The lever 13 is likewise shown as operating by bell crank connection through shaft 25, crank arm 26 and link 27 upon the hammer rest rail 28 by which soft pedal effect is produced. It, also, might readily be connected simply to operate in other directions to produce the same effect.

I have shown the control of the volume of air handled as by means of lever 1 operated to the right and left. It is pivoted at 14: and moves the tempo indicator 29 upon rod 29' across the scale 30. The time control is obtained by the connection of the rod 29, with rod 31. The pivot points are. shown at 32 and 32. The rod 31 leads to the control box 33. The parts 29 and 29 are rigid in the construction shown and swing about the pivot 32 as required by the arm movement of the pivot 32 about the center lt as the lever 14 is moved back and forth. The rod 31 may thus have the straight line movement which its guides in box 33 determine.

I have preferred to place the engine 34 high enough so that the motor control box 33 can be placed in more direct connection with it and so that the box will also be accessible for simple and direct connection with my levers in their desirable raised position above the key board, contributing to the unity of construction.

I have not considered it necessary to illustrate the interior of the motor control box 33 whose function in its previous position as well as whose connections with the en gine and air control in its previous position below the keyboard have been well known. The control of the motor through this box has been effected by rods entering it from the end in previous constructions.

I have not considered it necessary to illustrate the engine further than to show the crank shaft 35, valve rods 36, valve slides 37 and vacuum manifold 38 with the sprocket wheel or other means 39 by which the rotation of the crank shaft is transmit ted to the other parts.

I have shown the sprocket chain 4:0 as connected in the usual way with a sprocket wheel 4:1 upon the axially movable shaft i1. This shaft rotates freely within clutch for engagement with the clutch L3 in one position of the spool 4:4, (the position not shown), and have illustrated the usual pinion 15 for engagement with gear l6 in the other position of the spool slat in which position I have illustrated it. The spool and pinion are fixed to the shaft. By this means, as is well known, the roll i7 is operated, in the position of the clutch shown, for winding the music over the tracker board 48. In the reversed position of the clutch by means of any suitable sprocket chain 49, I operate the roll 50 at a higher speed for rewinding purposes. The chain 49 connects the several shafts through gears 51, 52. y

I have much simplified the connections by which this winding or rewinding position of the clutch is obtained, by placing my lever in the position indicated, since I can then pivot my lever 15 at 53, making it a single lever which operates the clutch spool 44. at any desired distance from the pivot point 51 and moves the rod 54. by pivotal connections therewith, at some such point as 55. The rod 54 is extended at 54: to operate an air out off at 56 through bell crank lever 57.

It will be evident that my construction provides for the manufacture of player piano actions as self-contained units furnished to the assembler, ready for insertion within the piano, or any approach to completeness thereof which may be desired.

It will be further evident that I provide for completion of a player piano action wholly within one compartment of the piano, where desired, by mounting the control levers of the action directly upon or in close proximity to the body of the action.

It will be further evident that the opening through which the player action control levers are accessible may be completely hi dden by use of a main fall board which is not provided with a corresponding opening.

7 It will be further evident that the'concentration of the controlling and operating parts reduces the friction and probability of repairs, as well as the total expense and work involved in installation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a player piano action, piano keys and operating connections for producing sound thereby, a player piano action, a plurality of control levers and connections Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, I

therefor located above the keys, a casing having an opening through which these le-V vers are accessible, a closure for the opening and a fall board covering the closure when in a raised position. v I

2. In an antomatic player piano, a plurality of motor bellows, a control box therefor, a rod to control the motive power and operating within the control box, a

tempo indicator comprising a rod and pointer rigid therewith, pivotally connected with the rod to have lateral movement about the point of connection and a lever for operation of the rod engaging the indicator to move it and the rod.

3. In an automatic piano player provided with keys for manual playing, a player piano action, levers and connections for operating the same and a piano casing having a fall board covering the ends of the keys in lowered position, in combination with a backboard behind the fall board located over the rear ends of the keys and in front of the levers, said backboard being maintained in approximately vertical position, whether the fall board be in raised or in lowered position and having therein an opening opposite the levers to permit access thereto.

t. In an automatic player piano, piano mechanism, a player piano action therefor provided with operating levers located above the piano keys, a backboard providing an opening through which the levers are accessible and a fallboard covering the opening when in raised position'and the outer ends of the keys when in lowered position.

5. In an automatic player piano, piano mechanism, a player piano action cooperating therewith and provided with operating levers above the piano keys, a pivoted backboard provided with an opening through which the levers are accessible, a movable cover for said opening and a fallboard connected with the backboard to move the latter backward as the fallboard is moved and adapted in. raised position to stand in front of the opening and cover.

HAROLD B. TODD. Witnesses:

' HELEN I. KAUFFMAN,

WM. STEELL JACKSON.

Washington, D. 0. 

